The Japan Society Review
The Japan Society Review is published on a quartely basis, both online and printed (members are entitled to receive a copy by post). Since the starting of the publication in 2006, each issue covers a selection of Japan-related books and films, as well as theatre and stage productions, tv series and exhibitions. Its purpose is to inform, entertain and encourage readers to explore the works for themselves.
The Japan Society Review is possible thanks to the work of volunteers who dedicated their time and expertise to help us to promote the learning and understanding of Japanese culture and society.
Books
Kurosawa Akira vs. HollywoodBy Hiroshi Tasogawa Bungei Shunju, 2006, 486 pages, hardback ¥ 2476, ISBN-13: 978-4163677903 Review by Fumiko Halloran
Books
The Diary of Charles Holme’s 1889 Visit to Japan and North AmericaThe Diary of Charles Holme’s 1889 Visit to Japan and North America with Mrs Lasenby Liberty’s Japan: A Pictorial Record Edited by Toni Huberman, Sonia Ashmore, Yasuko Suga Global Oriental, 2008, 240 pages (including 8 plates and 50 photographs by Lasenby Liberty), hardback £65.00, ISBN-13: 978-1905246397 Review by Dr Jill Raggett
Books
What I Talk About When I Talk About RunningBy Haruki Murakami This book is a fascinating account of Murakami’s road to becoming a writer, tied up with his reasons for taking up running. In 1979, Murakami, young and out of University after having studied Greek drama, was at a baseball game. Review by Mikihiro Maeda
Books
John Milne: the man who mapped the shaking earthBy Paul Kabrna Craven and Pendle Geological Society, 2007, 120 pages, paperback £6.50, (Special offer price to Japan Society members, just £5.00 including p & p. E-mail paul_kabrna@msn.com), ISBN 978-0-9555289-0-3 Review by Paul Wignall
Books
Nihon no Ichiban Nagai Natsu (Japan’s Longest Summer)Edited by Kazutoshi Hando Bunshun Shinsho, Bungei Shunju, October 2007, 181 pages, paperback ¥70, ISBN-13: 978-4166605941 Review by Fumiko Halloran
Books
Hiroshige. One Hundred Famous Views of EdoBy Melanie Trede and Lorenz Bichler Taschen, 2008, 294 pages, Japanese binding & bookcase £80.00, ISBN: 978-3-8228-4827-2 Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Books
Dogs and Demons: The Fall of Modern JapanEdited by Alex Kerr Penguin Books, 2001, 432 pages, ISBN: 0141010002 Review by Hiroko Kawai (GLOCOM)
Books
Chronicles of My Life, An American in the Heart of JapanBy Donald Keene Columbia University Press,New York, 2008, 208 pages, including photographs and list of names of Japanese mentioned in the text. Hardback £16.50. ISBN 13: 978-0231144407 Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Books
Jitsuroku Koizumi Gaiko (Records of Koizumi Diplomacy)By Isao Iijima Nihon Keizai Shimbun Shuppansha, 2007,343 pages. Hardback ¥1,890. ISBN -13: 978-4532352714 Review by Fumiko Halloran
Books
Japanese Diplomacy in the 1950s: From Isolation to IntegrationEdited by Iokibe Makoto, Caroline Rose, Tomaru Junko, and John Weste Routledge, 2007, 215 pages including index and notes. Hardback £75.00. ISBN13: 978-0415372961 Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi